Theater Takes Center Stage This Summer

Many onstage performances are returning around the Upper East Side of Texas this summer — the perfect time to escape the heat while enjoying live theater. Several nonprofit theater organizations from communities around the region recruit folks of all ages and backgrounds to act, sing, dance, direct, and work behind the scenes in entertaining productions that continue to amaze and impress audiences year after year.

On and Off Broadway

Broadway musicals are the source for many productions around the region this summer. Former Broadway hits including Matilda the Musical, Seussical Jr., The Music Man, and Plaza Suite top the list in July and August.

Matilda the Musical ran on Broadway four years starting in 2013 and takes the stage in Sulphur Springs at the school district’s high school auditorium at 7 p.m., Friday, and Saturday, August 4-5, and at 2 p.m., Sunday, August 6. The performance features several young actors and is produced by Shining Star Productions

The play is based on the original book Matilda by Roald Dahl. A Netflix movie starring Emma Thompson and Alisha Weir brought the beloved musical to the big screen in 2022 and likely broadened the play’s appeal.

The plot tells the story of Matilda Wormwood, an exceptionally bright and strongwilled child whose parents take no interest in her and send her to boarding school.

There she confronts the evil Ms. Agatha Trunchbull and gains allies among the friendly Miss Honey and the cast of young characters — the so-called “Revolting Children” — who are ready to sing and dance their way free from the school’s tyranny.

Tickets are $12 in advance and can be purchased at Alliance Bank in Sulphur Springs or online at www.bit.lyMatilda23. Tickets are also available at the door for $15 each. For information visit Shining Star Productions on Facebook.

Palestine Community Theatre also performs Matilda the Musical based on Dahl’s book beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 21 to 22, at 2 p.m., Sunday, July 23, 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, July 28 to 29, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 30.

Performances are held in the Texas Theater at 213 W. Crawford Street in the historic Main Street district and cost $15 for adults and $10 for youth. For information visit www.thetexastheater.com.

Greenville Family Theatre presents Meredith Willson’s The Music Man — one of the most popular Broadway musicals ever — beginning at 7 p.m. on July 14 at the Greenville Municipal Auditorium. The show runs at various times through July 22. Tickets are $10 to $25 each. Visit www.showtimeatthegma.com for information.

Theatre Longview also presents The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical August 4 to 6 and 11 to 13. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. The Lightning Thief is based on the imaginative bestselling children’s series by Texas author Rick Riordan. It enjoyed a brief 16-week run on Broadway and a national tour. Performances are held at the Longview Community Center at 500 E Whaley Street in Longview. For information call (903) 387-3736 or visit www.theatrelongview.com.

The Main St. Theatre Community Players in Sulphur Springs are producing Seussical Jr. Performance dates begin at 7 p.m., Friday, July 14, to Sunday, July 16, and continue Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the next weekend through July 23.

Seussical Jr. is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and based on several children’s books by Dr. Seuss. It had a short run on Broadway in 2000 and has since been performed at schools and community theaters nationwide.

The performance is a culmination of weeks of acting and technical workshops, auditions, and rehearsals held in June for students 7 to 18. The annual Children’s Workshop allows youth to experience play production from start to finish. Performances are held at the Main Street Theatre, 225 Main Street in Sulphur Springs. For information call (903) 8850107 or visit www.communityplayersinc.com.

The Sherman Community Players Theatricks present

The Elevator Family adapted by Douglas Evans July 7 to 16. This off-Broadway play tells the story of a quirky family who adopt an elevator as their home and joyfully share it with everyone who enters. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students.

The players hold their Summer Benefit Dinner Theater featuring Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite on July 28 to 30 and August 4 to 6. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7 p.m. and Sunday shows begin at 1:30 p.m.

Plaza Suite is a trio of loosely-affiliated one act plays that opened on Broadway in 1968 and ended in 1970. The show includes a three-course meal at the Honey McGee Playhouse at 313 Mulberry Street. Tickets are $75 per person. For information call (903) 892-8818 or visit www.scptheater.org.

Tyler Community Theatre presents two former Broadway musicals — Footloose July 21 to 23, 27 to 30, and August 3 to 6, and the original British comedy Noises Off September 8 to 10, 14 to 17 and 21 to 24. Tickets are $12.50 for adults and students. Tyler Civic Theatre Center is located at 400 Rose Park Drive. Call (903) 592-0561 or visit www.tylercivictheatre. com for information.

Much Ado About Shakespeare

The Texas Shakespeare Festival continues this summer with a variety of performances at the Anne Dean Turk Fine Arts Center at Kilgore College. The troupe’s major performances include The Comedy of Errors, Pride & Prejudice, Lear, Something Rotten!, and Todrick the Terrible — all of which run several dates throughout the month of July. Tickets range from $30 to $38 and can be purchased online. For information call (903) 983-8601 or visit www.texasshakespeare.com.

At Winnsboro Center for the Arts, the Bowery Players present a creative rendition of Much Ado About Nothing. Director Dr. Johan A. Price adapted the original play by William Shakespeare to a Vietnam-era M.A.S.H. unit environment. Shakespeare’s timeless language and storylines are accompanied by classic rock and Motown hits of the period. The first-ever performances of this adaptation take place Friday, September 8, to Sunday, September 10, and Friday, September 15, to Sunday, September 17, on the Bowery Stage. For information call (903) 342-0686 or visit www.winnsborocenterforthearts.com.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare takes place September 22-24 and September 29 to October 1 at The Select Theater in Mineola. Directed by Kay Lamb, the show features all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, performed in 97 minutes, by three actors. Fast paced, witty, and physical, it’s full of laughter for Shakespeare lovers and haters alike. For tickets and more information visit www.lakecountryplayhouse.com or call (903) 569-2300.